Happy #ThrillerThursday! First, some nice awards news: three Minotaur titles have been nominated for the 2017 Barry Awards:

The readers of Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine will vote on these nominations and the award winners will be announced as part of the Opening Ceremonies of Bouchercon in Toronto on October 12, 2017.

Here’s what we’re reading this week:

THE FIFTH ELEMENT by Jorgen BrekkeTwo starred reviews! Set in northern Norway around Trondheim, Brekke’s “stellar”* third installment in his Odd Singsaker homicide detective series is divided into four sections and follows what happens when Odd searches for his missing wife. “This narrative device is initially perplexing, but it all makes perfect sense in the end.” — *Publishers Weekly, starred review

Read on for some summer suspense:

COLLECTING THE DEAD by Spencer KopeTwo stars for this debut mystery starring Magnus “Steps” Craig, an FBI agent and tracker with the special ability to see people’s “shine”—particularly the one from a vicious serial killer. “Kope’s fascinating debut will place Steps Craig alongside Walt Longmire, Jack Reacher, and Charlie Parker as an enduring literary hero.” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

FIRST STRIKE by Ben Coes
“Coes delivers another outstanding novel featuring Special Forces hero Dewey Andreas. Coes is one of those few authors who knows how to turn the world of black ops into compelling, realistic fiction, and he’s getting better and better.” — Booklist, starred review

WILLNOT by James Sallis
In the woods outside the town of Willnot, the remains of several people have suddenly been discovered, unnerving the community and unsettling Dr. Lamar Hale, the town’s all-purpose general practitioner, surgeon, and town conscience. “A profoundly moving, quietly eloquent jewel of a novel.” — Booklist, starred reviewreadmoreremove

We’re seeing *stars* for these four excellent mysteries:

A GREAT RECKONING by Louise Penny (FOUR STARS)
“The lyrical 12th entry in bestseller Penny’s remarkable series, which has won multiple Agatha awards, finds former Chief Insp. Armand Gamache coming out of retirement to clean up the corrupt Süreté Academy du Québec. This complex novel deals with universal themes of compassion, weakness in the face of temptation, forgiveness, and the danger of falling into despair and cynicism over apparently insurmountable evils.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Once again Penny displays her remarkable ability to serve equally well both series devotees and new readers (if there are any of those still to be found). Gamache fans will be thrilled by the way this installment unlocks some of the series’ enduring mysteries… At the same time, the main plot offers a compelling mystery and a rich human drama in which no character is either entirely good or evil, and each is capable of inspiring empathy.” — Booklist, starred review

“This riveting read, with characters of incredible depth who only add to the strength of the plot, will keep readers guessing until the last page. For series fans and those who enjoy the small-town mysteries of Julia Spencer-Fleming.” — Library Journal, starred review

THE ONE MAN by Andrew Gross (FOUR STARS)
“Bestseller Gross revisits the horrors of Auschwitz in this harrowing, thematically rich thriller… Alternating between scenes of American hope-against-hope optimism and Nazi brutality, Blum’s deadly odyssey into and out of this 20th-century hell drives toward a compelling celebration of the human will to survive, remember, and overcome.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review

“This is Gross’ best work yet, with his heart and soul imprinted on every page.” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“This is a genre departure for Gross, who was inspired by his Polish father-in-law to write a Holocaust espionage novel. While the Mendl plot is fictitious, the background and many characters are historically based, adding compassion and depth to a story that is as moving as it is gripping. A winner on all fronts.” — Booklist, starred review

“This is a first-rate tale from a real pro who here takes a different direction from his previous work.” — Library Journal, starred review

It’s the last day of TxLA! Come grab the last of our books in the Macmillan Adult booth #1544 but first, hear Anne “sweet teeth” Spieth share her favorite forthcoming Macmillan titles at Book Buzz: The New Books Are Coming from 8:00-9:50am in room 370 A-F.

Have a conflict or not at TxLA? We’ve got you covered! Here are all of the titles Anne presented:

*Nominations are due April 20! Click here for the full list of 2016 deadlines.

THE HOUR OF LAND: A Personal Topography of America’s National Parks by Terry Tempest Williams
“Williams, an ardent, often rhapsodic, always scrupulous witness to the living world and advocate for the protection of public lands, celebrates the centennial of the National Park Service in this enrapturing and encompassing chronicle of her deeply inquisitive, meditative, and dramatic sojourns in a dozen national parks. Illustrated with exquisite photographs by such masters as Lois Conner, Lee Friedlander, Sally Mann, and Sebastião Salgado, this is a uniquely evocative, illuminating, profound, poignant, beautiful, courageous, and clarion book about the true significance of our national parks.” — Booklist, starred review

Download the e-galley from Edelweiss

WIDOWMAKER by Paul Doiron
In this riveting new novel from Edgar finalist & LibraryReads authorPaul Doiron, Game Warden Mike Bowditch is on the trail of a ruthless vigilante amid the snow-covered mountains of Maine. “Barry Award winner and Edgar finalist Doiron’s new work is the top of the heap for the publisher this June.” — Library Journal, pre-pub alert

THEY MAY NOT MEAN TO, BUT THEY DO by Cathleen Schine
Joy Bergman is not slipping into old age with the quiet grace her children would prefer, and when her husband dies, they offer solutions for their mother’s loneliness and despair. But there is one challenge they did not count on: the reappearance of an ardent suitor from Joy’s college days. “Schine is a master at limning family dynamics in all their messiness.” — Library Journal

Download the e-galley from Edelweiss

IF I FORGET YOU by Thomas Christopher Greene
Two former lovers reconnect in this beautiful and haunting tale of great lost love from the critically acclaimed author of THE HEADMASTER’S WIFE. “WOW. What a book! I thought it was a great love story, emotionally taut in all the right places. I loved the characters.” — Tina Panik, Avon Free Public Library, Avon CT

Download the e-galley from Edelweiss

INFOMOCRACY by Malka OlderLittle Brother meets The West Wing in this “sparkling debut”* high-tech political thriller about a global information monopoly attempting to prevent election sabotage and world war. “This intriguing thought experiment is perfectly timed to leave readers pondering the meaning of voting and representative government in the run-up to the 2016 elections.” — *Publishers Weekly

We’re ridiculously excited to see you in the Mile High City next month at the Public Library Association conference! Stop by the Macmillan (adult) booth #1559 and come to our great events on the schedule below.